InuYasha Second Chance
by Nezumitoo
Summary: After a tradjedy that changed her life, Mika started a new life in japan. She bought a house that held a legend of a girl who once fell in love with a boy that was half demon...
1. The Shrine

Inu-Yasha  
Second Chance  
Scroll One

* * *

"The Shrine"

* * *

Mika was a slight woman... age 25, only 5'2" and very thin. She sighed as she began unpacking. It wouldn't take very long as she had only brought 2 boxes with her. One for clothing, the other for dishes and toiletries. When she had bought the house, they had told her that it was furnished, but as she looked around, she realized it was not... unless you could call the one chair and the TV stand furniture.  
  
She set about looking around her new property. She had used all of her savings and the final amount of the insurance money to buy the house. She barely had enough to left over for food, so she was glad the School had fronted her money for the next month. They had paid her plane fair and provided a car, all of it included in the package.  
  
This was her new life, she had left it all behind after the accident. She had finally decided to start over, she wanted to keep her promise to live... she couldn't seem to do anything else so she had decided to try, it was the least she could do. And besides, if she heard one more fake sympathetic comment, one more person with pity in their voice she would have gone crazy. She couldn't stand the fact that they blamed her for being the one who lived, they were the ones who kept her in death, she couldn't keep her promise when everything reminded her about the time before the accident... so she sold everything, changed her name and left. She had decided that it was the only way to move on, she had to become someone new, start a new life.  
  
One of her old work acquaintances had often talked about the teacher's jobs that they offered in Japan. They seemed to be in desperate need of people who were fluent in English, at least that's what the pamphlet in the packet she received said. So her decision was made and she did it.  
It was all new to her, she had been a designer in fashion before. It had taken her many years to be noticed though. Odd jobs here and there until finally someone had given her a chance. It had been like a dream, she had married her high school sweetheart, she had known him since she was 14, they'd been friends for so long. He was her best friend, always there for her. He had helped her through so many hard times, and even though her father had told her that she wasn't good enough and even though she had believed him, her husband had still loved her... and one day, she realized that she had loved him too.  
  
They got married when she was 19, and a year later she had twins... the most beautiful children she had ever seen, one blonde like her, the other brown like him... the boy named Alexander, the girl named Victoria. She loved them more than life itself....  
Mika slid open a door, it was a small bedroom, it must not be the master, she liked it though, and it had a bed... so there was some furniture at least.  
  
Okay, she decided, this was going to be her room. She walked over to the lone window and opened it. It had a perfect view of the property. She could see the cut tree, the path to the archway and the stairs...and the odd little building that looked like a storage shed. Mika made her way back to the living room to get her box of clothing. She set the box on the bed, and began to rummage through it , at the bottom of the box she found what she was looking for. She pulled a small black velvet pouch free and sat down on the bed. Mika held it in her hands for several minutes before opening it up.  
  
This was the only thing she had kept, the only reminder besides her memories and her dreams. She turned the pouch upside down and let its contents drop into her hand. It was a ring, platinum with a filigree design around a marquee cut ruby. She held it up to the light, it sparkled in the sun, she remembered the day he had given to her.  
  
When they had gotten married, her father had cut her off, and he had no real family, so they didn't have much money in the beginning. They married in front of a judge, exchanging pot metal rings that they had gotten out of a store vending machine.  
  
Mika smiled -then years later, after the twins were born, after he completed collage and they became a bit more established, after she had gotten her dream job to design for a theatre company, she's woken up one morning with the ring on her finger. She had cried because she was so happy...  
  
Mika felt tears threatening to rise so she quickly stuffed the ring back into the pouch. She put the pouch into the pocket of her skirt and began hanging her clothes up. She wanted to continue the search of her house before looking over the grounds of the property.  
  
"Anata," she said quietly to herself as she roamed through the house, "I'm trying to be strong... but it's so hard without you."  
  
Mika familiarized herself with the house, finding the kitchen rather quickly, and the bathroom... odd as it was. She wasn't used to Japanese style tubs, but then again she wasn't used to anything Japanese yet. It would take a while, but she had the rest of her life...  
  
She wandered out into the yard, the house was set on top of a hill and the stairway that wound up to it was nicely tapered. She walked over to the tree, it had been cut and the stump had been burned, there was a white string of paper decorations tied to a red and white rope encircling it. It was very close to the stairway and as she stood there staring at it she wondered why it had been cut. It was quite large and it looked old...  
  
She turned and looked over at the storage shed, it was a worn building, quite the opposite of the house, the house was new, it had been rebuilt. She smiled , recalling the man who had sold the property to her. He was an older gentleman, small and nice. He had told her that the house was originally and ancestral shrine that dated back into the feudal era of Japan. The old house had been, before it had been rebuilt. Due to a family tragedy he wanted to be rid of it. He swore to her that there were ghosts. Mika had laughed a little...Ghosts, of all things... It seemed that most older people were a bit superstitious though, even her father had believed in such nonsense. Mika had no time for it, she had tried when she was younger, to find her God... a religion... a place. She had dreams when she was a little girl, of a life that wasn't her own, but as the years continued, her dreams had mostly faded, and when she met her husband, he had filled the void that a God couldn't.  
  
So she had no time for it, no time for spirits or ghosts or superstition, but she didn't want to be rude so she humored the old man and listened to him ramble. He told her a story about his sister who had fallen in love and married a boy who had once been part demon. How years later a mysterious fire burned the old house down along with his sister and Brother- in-law. As Mika listened to him tell the story she wondered if he truly believed such a thing, demons... After the house was rebuilt he wanted to be rid of it, it had too many bad memories for him and he wanted to move on. He swore that their ghosts haunted the small building and so he had locked it up and put the property up for sale. Apparently no one would buy it because of the tragedy and mysterious circumstances of the fire. But it was that tragedy that had drawn Mika to the house.... It had a history that she shared. She had her tragedy, the house had its tragedy and together she felt it was a match... fate. Just like with her husband...  
  
Mika shook her head, stopping herself from her thoughts and memories.  
  
"Sorry Anata, you knew I was a weak girl..."  
  
She smiled slightly and walked over to the shed. She reached out and tapped at the padlock that held all the chain around the doors. She reached into her pocket and pulled a ring of keys free. The man had given her about 20 different keys when she signed the papers, not one of them had been marked and when Mika first arrived it had taken her almost 30 minutes to find the key that fit into the house front door.  
  
Patiently she went through the keys one by one, trying them all in the lock. After she had tried them all and they all failed to open the lock, she gave out a small frustrated sigh. She'd have to call a locksmith to open it... or resort to buying a set of bolt cutters, but either way it would have to wait until she got her first paycheck because she knew she couldn't afford them at the present.  
She walked back to the house, a bit annoyed and very curious as to what the little shed held. Why bother giving her a set of keys when not one of them was workable...  
  
Mika tried to eat dinner, but ever since the accident, she couldn't stomach that much. Before it happened, she had been chubby, especially after the birth of the twins. But after the accident... they had threatened to feed her through a tube if she didn't start eating on her own.  
She took a shower, then decided to soak for a bit in the tub. She fell asleep shortly after, her dreams were filled with the faces of her husband and children. Sometime in the night she woke up and cried in the dark.  
  
When morning came, Mika was awake to greet it. She sighed as she sat up in bed. She wasn't able to sleep all that much anymore and it bothered her greatly. It was orientation day at the school... they didn't waste time. She was to meet the principal and the teachers. Then they wanted to introduce her to her class. She was told she wouldn't be teaching for a week, but they wanted her to familiarize herself with the customs of the school. It was a local private school , she was excited about it because they had uniforms and everything.  
  
She rubbed her eyes and got up, making her way to the bathroom for another shower. Her hair was very fine and it had the bad habit of molding itself into the shape of the pillow she had slept on. No amount of hairspray or gel would make her bangs stay down, it had to be brushed right after her shower, while her hair was still wet or she'd have bad hair all day. The shower would be short, since she had cleaned herself the day before, this shower was solely for the sake of her hair.  
She wiped the steam away from the mirror and stared at herself for a moment. Her blonde hair was very light, almost white gold in color, but her roots were darker giving her hair the illusion that she bleached it. She laughed a little at the thought of her hair. She used to dye her hair all sorts of colors before, black, blue, purple... she had never cared for blonde hair, in America, everyone seemed to have blonde hair, whether real or dyed and she had always hated it. But after the accident, she had cut off her hair, and had it burned along with their bodies... She decided after that that she didn't want anymore illusions, no more makeup, no more dye, just herself. So she let it grow out, it had taken 3 years to get back to its length, but she didn't care anymore. She touched the small dimple on the side of her nose, she'd had her nose pierced when she was 16, they had called her alternative back then... sometimes gothic, she had many piercings and even a tongue bar... but it was all gone now and the only reminder of any of it was the small dent that a small amount of face powder could cover.  
  
Mika brushed her teeth and dressed. Quickly she brushed her hair, carefully forcing her bangs to lay flat. She had been born with wavy hair, but after she had cut it, it had grown in straight... all save her bangs that always seemed to want to curl.  
  
She chose a simple long black skirt and a white dress shirt. A black suit jacket and black loafers. Even before it had happened she pretty much only ever wore black. She had always felt most comfortable in it, so when she went into mourning she didn't really need to replace much. She looked at herself. She looked very business-like which was good because she wanted to make a good first impression.  
  
She pulled the pouch free of the skirt she had worn the day before and put it into her coat pocket. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door. Taking a deep breath as she locked the door she looked up and sighed.  
  
"Wish me luck Anata. "She turned and walked towards the stairway.  
  
She glanced over at the shed and noticed something odd. It didn't register at first but as she got closer she realized that the chain and padlock were off and clumped in a pile next to the doors. Mika stood at the doors of the shed, staring at the chain. Her first thought was that she had been robbed, but she dismissed it because the lock hadn't been cut.  
  
' One of the keys must have worked...' she thought to herself. 'It must have come undone after I went back inside.'  
  
She reached out and slid the doors open. They creaked loudly as dust filled the air. Coughing, she waved her hands, trying to clear it away from her face. It took a moment to settle so she stood with her face turned away. She turned and looked into the shed. It was very dark but the morning sun spilled into it through the open doors. Almost immediately there were stairs leading down to a small squared area. In the center of the area was what looked like an old well. It was boarded up and paper scrolls with faded Kanji written all over them covered almost the entire well. Off to the side of the well was a stack of boxes, only a few, neatly stacked and taped. The ground of the area was dirt.  
  
Mika sighed, "You don't have time for this..." she said out loud. But her curiosity got the better of her and she started down the steps.  
  
She ran her hands over the well, she couldn't read the kanji too well, she had studied Japanese in school, but it had been so many years and she was still lacking when it came to the reading and writing side of it. She could speak it well enough though, which is why she chose Japan as her new home.  
  
She peeled off one of the scrolls, it was yellowed with age and most of the kanji was worn away. She could make out "sacred" but that was all. She dropped the scroll and walked over to the boxes. Pulling the top one down, she pealed off the aged tape.  
The contents amazed her, despite the outward aged appearance of the boxes, the inside contents seemed almost new. The first thing in the box was a small album. She opened it up and ran her fingers over the raised lettering on the inside parchment. The name "Higarashi" was printed in Gold. She carefully turned the parchment to the first picture. It was a young girl in a school uniform.  
  
Mika wondered if it was the same uniform of the school she was going to teach at.  
The girl wore a green pleated skirt with a white shirt and matching green sailor collar. It must have been summer when the picture was taken because the sleeves of her shirt were short. The girl was very pretty, her black hair was mid-length and down. She had large brown eyes and she was smiling.  
  
The next picture was of the same girl and a boy. He had very long black hair and his eyes were closed, his mouth was open and it looked as if he was in mid-sentence. The girl was clinging to him and she was making a peace sign. They were both dressed casually. Mika smiled, they looked like the perfect couple.  
  
As she looked through the album she recalled the words of the old man that sold her the house  
  
"My sister who fell in love with a boy who had once been half demon..." He looked normal enough...  
  
In each photo, they were in one pose or another, some of them I uniforms, others in casual wear. There was one picture of them with the whole family... a small boy, a mother and a grandfather, all in traditional kimono. There was one picture of them at a festival, the boy was dressed in yakuta and his hair was pulled back.  
  
In every picture he had the same impatient look on his face, but always a slight smile, always together with the girl. The last picture in the album was of them, only they were older. The boy, who was a man in the last photo, his hair was cut short, and both he and the girl, were in traditional wedding ceremonial garb. They looked beautiful together.  
  
It took Mika a moment before she put two and two together. She frowned...  
  
"It must have been them, the older man's sister, and her husband. They died in the fire. They looked happy, it was just like with me..." Mika said out loud... "only I survived..."  
  
Mika pushed the memory away again and pulled the last photo out of the album, she wanted to see if their names were printed on it. She knew from the cover parchment and the papers that she signed for the house that the girl's surname was Higarashi, but she wanted to know their first names. When she pulled the picture out she noticed that another one was hidden behind it. It was a small Polaroid photo, not like the others, and it was turned face down. She pulled it out and turned it over.  
  
It was a picture of the boy, only his hair was silvery white and he was wearing full red hakama and kimono with split sleeves. He was seated and he appeared to be sleeping, in his arms was a sword, but what caught Mika's eye was that he had white dog ears...  
Mika laughed, Cosplay, it must be a costume,  
  
She knew cosplay was very popular in Japan and it seemed even the boy liked it. Mika couldn't understand why they would only take a Polaroid of it.... Why hide it ?  
  
Absently she put the Polaroid and the wedding portrait into her coat pocket and closed the book. She set it to the side and continued on with her search of the box. The next thing she found was a bundle, it was wrapped neatly in paper with twine keeping it together. She pulled the twine free and carefully unwrapped the package. Neatly folded on the inside was the same red kakama and kimono top that the boy wore in the picture. It was unusually soft and very bright. She held the kimono up and was surprised by it's weight. It was very light, like paper, which made her wonder what kind of fabric it was, she turned it over, trying to find a tag. Unable to find one she slipped her arms into the sleeves and was surprised to find how warm it was.  
  
Still wearing the kimono, Mika pulled the final content of the box out. It was a small rectangular wooden jewelry box. It seemed very old, like an antique. She opened it up to find a beaded necklace. Carefully she pulled the necklace out of the box to examine it. It was heavy, mostly blue beads that seemed to be made of glass, every fifth bead was interrupted with a small white bone claw. Mika reached into her pocket and pulled the Polaroid free. She looked at it and noted that the boy had the same necklace around his neck. She was astonished at the quality of the costume. She knew that the Japanese costume market was very different from the States, they even had whole shops that produced fabrics just for such a thing, but she had never seen it in person.  
  
"Like a real garment..." she said out loud.  
  
She stuffed the photo back into her pocket and put the necklace on. It was heavy for a piece of costume jewelry, but she supposed that it wasn't so bad because it was probably only worn for a few hors a day... She turned and looked at the other boxes, wondering which one held the wig and the ears. She looked at her watch and decided that the rest of the search would have to wait. She still had time but she wanted to open the well and see what was inside.  
  
"Ghosts..." she said in a partial laugh, "they must have believed it to place so many scrolls around it."  
  
She took the kimono top off and folded it up, placing it back into the box.  
  
"Not quite a neat as I found it, but it'll do for now." She decided that after she got home, she'd bring the boxes inside the house so she could go through them all.  
  
Carefully she started to rip the scrolls off the seams of the trap doors. There was a lot of dust and she was careful so she wouldn't get her clothing dirty, she wouldn't have time to change so she took it slow. She pulled the doors open, they were stiff but easy to move. She looked at her watch again, she had 20 minutes before she absolutely HAD to leave, which still gave her and extra 15 minutes just in case she should get lost on the way to the school. She had always given herself plenty of time, and with her sleeping habits, time was something she had plenty of...  
She peered over the edge of the well and looked inside. There was a small metal ladder that didn't go all the way down to the ground inside, but there wasn't any water in it either, so that didn't seem to matter. It was a narrow well, and not too deep, only about 10 feet down.  
  
"Why would..." she started to say when something caught her eye.  
  
Half buried in the dirt was what looked like a small glass marble. It glinted slightly despite the fact that almost no light could shine into the well.  
  
Mika made a decision without giving it much thought, she climbed over the edge of the well and carefully started to climb down the ladder.  
  
"Please don't break on me" she said out loud to the ladder as she carefully stepped down.  
She realized half way down that she probably shouldn't do such a thing in a long skirt, but since she had started, she figured she'd better finish. Reaching the last step, she carefully lowered herself down until she was left hanging there, her feet dangled a few feet from the ground as she realized that there quite a drop to the bottom.  
  
"...stupid" she said to herself as she hung there.  
  
She took a deep breath and let go. With a thump she hit the ground, she reached out quickly to steady herself so she wouldn't fall. She turned around for a moment, trying to find the glass ball that had made her do such a stupid thing as to climb into a well with a ladder that didn't go all the way down to the ground. It glinted again and she bent down to touch it. It was rounded and she realized that it was half-way buried into the dirt, so she pushed her sleeves up and dug it free.  
She held it up to the minimal light. It was larger than it had seemed it would be and was warm despite the fact that it had been buried in the cold earth. It was whitish in color as if it was crystal but as she looked at it she noticed a rainbow-ish shine to it.  
  
Mika turned it in the light, "So beautiful... "she whispered.  
  
Suddenly it flashed and she closed her eyes with a small gasp. Her eyes watered and she felt as if she had looked directly into the sun. After a moment she was able to see again, she looked at her watch and let a small noise of surprise escape her lips.  
  
"Oh No ! I'll be late" she cried out.  
  
Quickly she stuffed the stone into her skirt pocket and began turning about, trying to find the ladder. She figured she'd be able to jump for it, but she'd have to find it first and her eyes still weren't completely clear. She couldn't see the ladder and she began to get frustrated because she should at least be able to find it, even in the minimal light from the doorway.  
  
"Dammit" she murmured, fingering the walls of the well.  
  
She found some vines and tugged on them to see if they would hold her. After a few hard pulls she decided to take a chance. She pulled her skirt up and tied it in between her legs so it wouldn't catch and began the complicated task of climbing up the well. She felt foolish and cursed at herself quietly for not being able to find the stupid ladder.  
  
So much for staying clean...she'd have to run to get changed and then hope to hell she didn't get lost because she'd lose her fifteen minute leeway.  
  
She made it to the top and swung her arm out trying to find a secure place for a grip. With a great amount of effort she pulled herself up and over the edge of the well. Panting she stood there taking a moment to compose herself and catch her breath. She had been concentrating so hard on getting out of the well that it took her a moment to realize that the building was a bit different than when she had entered. She untied her skirt and looked up, noticing that the doors were closed and the boxes were gone. In a slight panic she ran up the steps and tried to open the doors. They were shut tight as if they had been locked from the outside. She rattled the doors and cried out  
She had been so wrapped up with her curiosity of the well that someone must have come in when she was inside.  
  
'Dammit, crime was everywhere' she thought, - her second day in Japan and already she had been robbed.  
  
"HEY !!" she shouted as she rattled the doors, "HEY !!, is anyone there ?! I don't care about the stuff just let me out !!"  
  
Again and again she shouted and banged on the doors. Finally she kicked them in frustration. She turned around and slid down onto the floor.  
  
"You really screwed up this time" she said, tears welling in her eyes, "what a fine first impression this will make at the school, late on my very first day."  
  
She put her head into her hands and cried for a few moments.  
  
"Anata... "she whispered finally.  
  
Mika looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes, that's when she noticed the inside. The trap doors of the well were gone, and the scrolls were all missing. The building didn't have all the dust that it had when she entered and seemed newer. Hanging from corner to corner and along all the walls was the same paper scroll decorations that adorned the tree stump on the outside grounds. She stood up and walked back down to the well. As she peered over the edge she noticed that the ladder was missing altogether, which would explain why she couldn't find it earlier.  
  
"What is going on?" she said as she looked around.  
  
She ran up the steps and started to bang on the doors again.  
  
"SOMEBODY !! LET ME OUT !!" she started to panic a bit, she didn't understand what was going on and it scared her. But after her renewed attempts at the doors failed and her screams seem to go unheard she collapsed against the doors again.  
  
She sobbed as she tried to make sense of it all.  
  
"Calm down Mika..." she half said, half sobbed, "It's not like I actually looked around, and it's pretty dark in here... maybe I just didn't notice how it was in here"  
  
She moaned a little and put her head on her knees.  
  
'Maybe they'll send someone when I don't show up...' she thought to herself  
  
Mika sat there and cried, waiting for the time to pass. She forgot about the stone that she had worked so hard to get, the stone that caused her to be in the mess she was in. She forgot about the necklace around her neck and the pictures in her pocket, she sat there and watched as the sun faded, her hopes of being found faded with it and she cried herself to sleep....  
  
In her dream she was sitting on her couch. Her husband was sitting next to her and he was smiling. Their children were sitting on the floor watching their favorite show and she was happy and content. Her husband just stared at her.  
  
"What?" She asked, feeling self conscious as he just sat there and looked at her.  
  
"Stop staring at me..." she said, hitting him playfully. His smile widened and she blushed,  
  
"Stop it" she said, pushing his face to the side. He turned back and smiled again.  
  
"What ?!" she laughed, reaching out to push his face away again. He grabbed her hand and laughed.  
  
"I was just thinking about how beautiful you were" he said quietly.  
  
Her face flushed with embarrassment.  
  
"I love you" he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss  
  
"EWWWWW!!!" The twins said in unison.  
  
They turned to see the twins staring at them with funny looks on their faces, both Mika and her husband laughed... caught by their children...  
  
Mika awoke with a start , there were voices outside the building. She jumped up and started banging on the doors again.  
  
"HEY !!" she started shouting, "Let me out PLEASE !! Can you hear me ? I don't care about the stuff, just let me out !!"  
  
She paused, trying to make out what they were saying.  
  
"...from inside ?!" Men's voices, but their accents were odd... "Get Sesshoumaru-sama !!"  
  
She could hear horses and their voices started to become distant as the horses galloped away.  
  
"HEY !" she shouted again, "don't leave !! Please!!" she rattled the doors again  
  
"...quickly !!" Then they were gone.  
  
"NO !! COME BACK !!" she cried out in English.  
  
Once again she was alone and trapped within the building. This time she couldn't stop the tears, they flowed as she collapsed again, she put her face into her hands and cried. She was alone, it was dark and cold and the thin jacket she had on wasn't keeping her warm. As she sobbed she remembered the last words she had heard from her father  
  
"Pathetic..."  
  
After what seemed like an eternity of her huddled down, her face wet with tears and her body cold, she stood up and tried to calm herself down, she decided that she'd have to be stronger if she was going to get out of the building so she began to look around, trying to see another door or exit that maybe she hadn't noticed to begin with.  
  
Suddenly a loud crunch pulled her from her thoughts with a start. Behind her the doors flung open and she spun around to see a figure standing in the doorway.  
  
He was very tall, his hair was very long and silvery white. He had yellow eyes and his ears were pointed. The sides of his face were striped with a purplish paint... or tattoos, she couldn't tell due to the poor light from the outside In the middle of his forehead was a crescent moon, he was wearing a very fancy hakama and kimono and two swords hung on his left side.  
  
He stood there for a moment staring at her with a cold gaze in his eyes. Behind him were some men, all wearing old style armor and their hair all done up in strange hair knots... they carried torches and peered in , looking at her with astonishment. Mika stood there, dumbfounded as the white haired man silently stared at her and the men began whispering behind him.  
  
The man with the white hair narrowed his eyes and stepped towards her, without thinking she stepped back, something about him scared her...  
  
"Who are you "he asked her levelly. It seemed to be more of a demand than a question to Mika...  
  
She stared at him stupidly, her mind racing as she tried to speak. He took a step closer to her and she stepped back again, this time she hit the wall. Mika brought her hands up to her eyes and began to whisper to herself.  
  
"This is a dream.... wake up Mika."  
  
Suddenly in a movement faster than she could see, the man was next to her, he towered over her and Mika gasped. He reached out and grabbed the beaded necklace, she put her hands out instinctively and tried to push his hand away, but in another movement faster than she could see he grabbed her wrist. His grip was unbelievably strong and she winced a little as he held tight. Her eyes widened as she noticed that his nails were very long and sharpened... like claws.  
  
"Let go of me !" She cried as she tried to pull away.  
  
She brought her leg up and tried to kick him but he moved to the side and smiled, as if everything she did was a joke. He spun her around and pulled her arm up behind her, twisting it a bit. She cried out in pain as he forced her to the ground.  
  
"STOP IT !" she cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks, "please stop it, you can have the stuff just stop !"  
  
She struggled to break free of his grip, but he just pulled her arm up causing her to cry out in pain.  
  
"Calm down" he said matter-of-factly  
  
Mika's heart was pounding but her instinct to struggle and panic wouldn't let her stop.  
  
"Stop it, please stop.." she sobbed, "please, I won't say anything just let me go !!"  
  
He tightened his grip and she winced.  
  
"Calm down" he said again, "tell me who you are and how you got that rosary"  
  
Mika tried to think rationally, but it was hard because she was in pain and afraid  
  
'Be strong' she thought desperately, 'be strong and answer!'  
  
"Mika..." she tried to stifle the sobs that came, "my name is Mika, I bought the house from Mr. Higarashi, I've only been here for a day, I found the necklace in a box at the well... I've only been her one day..."  
  
"Tou-Sama !!"  
  
Mika was interrupted suddenly, she looked over to see a girl push her way past the men in the doorway. The girl was slightly taller than Mika, her grayish hair was very long and slightly flipped at the ends. She was dressed in a simple brightly colored yakuta and her face was very young despite the color of her hair. She had the same stripes on her face and her ears were pointed as well. She had deep black eyes and very pale skin.  
  
"Tou-Sama!!" She stopped when she saw Mika.  
  
"Shouka" the man said calmly, his grip eased a bit, "go back to your mother, this does not concern you."  
  
"But Tou-Sama , who is she ?" Shouka asked as if the man hadn't spoken at all  
  
"Shoka..." he let Mika go, she gasped as her arm was free. She stared at them, stunned. The man walked over to Shouka,  
  
"Do not disobey me on this child..."  
  
"Father..." Shouka began.  
  
Mika stood there, unable to say anything as the two argued slightly back and forth. She felt her world spin, and in the next moment it overwhelmed her. She grabbed her arm as the pain shot through it.  
  
"A... Anata" she whispered before she fell, passing out.  
  
When Mika awoke she was on a large futon. For a moment she thought she had been dreaming, but the pain in her arm reminded her that she was not. She tried to sit up, but her head was heavy and she fell back onto the pillows. She reached over and touched her arm, wincing slightly with the pain.  
  
"You're awake !!" She heard Shouka say.  
  
Mika turned her head trying to focus in on her surroundings. She was in a large room, it didn't look modern at all. It was decorated richly and the doorway that Shouka stood in was made of paper. There was no glass anywhere in sight. Shouka was holding a large bowl, she walked over to Mika and knelt down. She pulled a cloth out of the bowl and wrung the water from it. She patted Mika's head carefully.  
  
She seemed very gentle to Mika, not at all like that man... Shouka had called him Father.  
  
"T-thank you..." Mika said quietly, her voice wasn't as strong as she meant it to be.  
  
"It's the least I can do" Shouka said with a smile, "I'm sorry about father, he isn't very good with humans..."  
  
'With humans ?' Mika thought 'what a strange thing to say..'  
  
"My name is Shouka" she said, noting the look on Mika's face, "please tell me your name"  
  
"Mika, my name is Mika.... Shouka, who is he...?" She asked, wincing at the thought of the white haired man.  
  
Shouka blinked "Tou-sama ?? ah... he is Lord Sesshoumaru, regent yokai of this land-"  
  
"Yokai ?" Mika interrupted, "as in demon ?!" she laughed despite the pain in her arm, "this is a joke right? Does the old man regret selling me the house ?? This is a stupid joke..." her laughter turned to small sobs  
  
"Why are you people doing this to me?!"  
  
Shouka stared at her with surprise, she reached out to touch Mika's head but Mika slapped her hand away and turned over, forcing herself to rise.  
  
"Don't touch me!" she sobbed, "if you wanted the house so damned badly, why did you sell it to me??" tears streamed down her face.  
  
Shouka calmly looked at her as she struggled to stand.  
  
"Mika-chan, please calm down... I don't understand what you mean-"  
  
"NO! I won't calm down !!" Mika yelled as she stumbled towards the doorway  
  
Shouka stood up and watched her, "Mika..."  
  
"Just because I'm foreign you people think you can play these games ?! Have a big laugh at the stupid American?!" she sobbed, " watch and laugh as you scare me half to death ..." Mika reached out to steady herself on the doorway but missed and started to fall forward.  
  
Just as she was about to hit the floor Shouka was there to catch her. The movement made Mika gasp, it was the same as that man.... Sesshoumaru, lightning fast.  
  
Mika couldn't understand any of it... she sat there, in Shouka's arms and cried. Shouka held her and sat silently, allowing Mika to cry. After a while Mika began to calm down, her tears all spent she looked up. Shouka smiled... there was something about her that seemed so gentle. She reached out and wiped the tears from Mika's face.  
  
"Mika-chan" she said softly, "I am so sorry, father scared you more than I thought, you have to understand that I won't let any harm come to you.... I just want to know... how you got into the shrine... it's been sealed ever since..." Mika blinked at Shouka's hesitation.  
  
"Mika-chan , where did you come from ?" Shouka asked.  
  
Mika looked at her earnest face, unsure of how to answer her, she smiled  
"...'Chan'... I'm older than you..." Mika said with a small laugh  
  
Shouka looked at her and then started to giggle.  
  
"I highly doubt that" she said , laughing at what seemed to be an inner joke.  
  
"Shouka-sama..." A voice from behind them.  
  
Standing in the doorway was a servant girl with her head bowed "Hime-sama requests an audience with her..."  
  
Mika noticed that not once did the girl look up, it seemed as if she was afraid to. Shouka sighed,  
  
"Tell Okaa that we'll be there shortly"  
  
"Hai" the girl said as she bowed deeper, stepping back a few times before she turned and walked away.  
  
"Mika-chan" Shouka started , lifting Mika's chin "Okaa is very kind, she will ask you what I have asked you, answer her truthfully and you will have nothing to worry about."  
  
Mika nodded, wondering why she would have to see anyone else. She wanted nothing more than to be home... to be in the arms of her husband, to hear the laughter of her children.... She felt the sting of the memories and tried to quickly push them away. She wanted to be strong.  
  
'Now was the time to be strong' she told herself  
  
Shouka helped Mika up and with more difficulty than she let on, she stood up straight and tried to ignore the pain of her arm. Shouka offered her arm to Mika but Mika shook her head  
  
"I'm fine, thank you..." she said politely.  
  
'Strong..' Shouka thought, 'she's very strong for a human...'  
  
Mika followed Shouka as she led her down a hallway. She was astonished at the size of the house, it seemed more like a mansion. She could see many servants, both male and female as she passed by opened rooms. They turned a corner to an open yard. Mika's jaw dropped as she walked past the enclosure. It was huge, the size of her new house, many trees and a pond adorned the grounds. There were several small boys playing games, all dressed in yakuta. On the far side was a stone bench positioned under a huge tree, There were several older men seated on it, they all had swords and they seemed deep in discussion. Off to the side, seated under the tree was a boy that stood apart from the others. He was different than the men. He sat there staring off into the sky. He was dressed in a fancy Kimono and hakama, his long black hair tapered in the back, his bangs and long side hair curved slightly, framing his face. His ears were pointed just like Shouka's and Sesshoumaru's.  
  
'Like an elf...' Mika thought as she continued to walk past.  
  
His leg was brought up and his arm was resting casually on it. Mika noticed his fingernails were long and pointed like Sesshoumaru's were. The boy turned his head suddenly, noticing her. His eyes were very light brown...almost gold. Mika turned her head away, not wanting to be rude by staring and a little embarrassed that she had been caught doing it.  
  
The boy watched her as she walked past, Shouka glanced at him and smiled, he nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly as he turned his attention back to Mika.  
  
"Oi" he called out to one of the man at the bench  
  
"Yes Tenkai-sama ?" the older man asked humbly  
  
"Who is that strange girl?" he asked as Mika disappeared out of sight  
  
"Tenkai-sama doesn't know ?"  
  
"Listen old man," Tenkai smirked, "if I knew , why would I ask you?"  
  
"Sorry, sorry" the old man said with a smile, "they say she's a spirit, Sesshoumaru-sama found her within the shrine."  
  
"The shrine ?!" Tenkai said sitting up, "that's impossible!" He stood up and started towards the house  
  
A spirit...he thought , she smells human enough... but even so, I've never seen a human like her.... she looks so different. Pale like a ghost and her hair....the same gold color of the sun. and her eyes...  
  
Tenkai stopped at the entrance of the house and turned back to the yard, looking up to the sky,  
  
'... blue like the heavens...'  
  
"Spirit, huh ?" he said out loud, "nonsense ! "

* * *

Notes and such  
  
anything between the ' ' is a thought  
  
There's alot of ponts where I used some japanese words, but since Mika is in japan, assume they are speaking it all the time unless it notes where she speaks english .... I put them in there because it sounds better in my head really -laughs-  
  



	2. Trapped Within a Strange World

Inu-Yasha  
Second chance  
Scroll two

* * *

"Trapped with a strange world"

* * *

Shouka stopped at the entrance of a large room. She glanced briefly at Mika who could only give back a weak smile.

'...It hurts...' Shouka thought to herself '... I can see how much it hurts you....'

The doors slid open. The room was large, almost as big as the clearing they had passed. Far to the back, seated on a raised platform was an older woman. Her silver hair was pulled up and adorned. Her Kimono was multi layered and rich.

'Like that of a Japanese Princess..'. Mika thought to herself

The woman had a kind face and her bangs, despite the age, were very much like Shouka's.

Mika noted that she didn't have any tattoos on her face... her ears weren't pointed, she was a bit thin for a person of her age, but she had calm eyes... normal, calm eyes.

"Please enter" she said softly

Shouka turned to Mika and smiled, Mika smiled back and took a step inside. Remembering Japanese custom, she carefully knelt down and bowed her head in respect.

"Ah..." Mika started to say, but stopped herself because she wasn't sure how she would finish it. So she just sat there with her eyes down.

Shouka walked in and sat down next to her.

"Mika-chan, meet the Lady Rin, my mother" Shouka said with a smile

Mika looked up with a bit of surprise, she could see it now... a sort of resemblance, she remembered suddenly that Shouka had called Sesshoumaru her father... which meant that if Rin was her mother...

Shouka coughed polity, which caused Mika to realize she must have been staring. She blushed with embarrassment , she hadn't meant to be rude...

"It's... ah... nice to meet you" Mika said, trying not to sound flaky

"And you" Rin said quietly "they say you are a Mononoke, is this true ?"

Mika blinked "Mo-no-no-ke ?" she looked at her for a moment with a half puzzled, half surprised look on her face"...a vengeful spirit ?"

Mika frowned "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I can't take any more of this" She stood up, ignoring the flash of pain in her arm "First demons, then spirits... you people are taking this too far... I'm not a complete fool! "

Mika turned herself around and shut her eyes. "Mika wake-up... it's a dream, a stupid dream" She stood there with her eyes closed, half whispering to her self and began to shake her head as if it would knock herself back into a reality she was sure she had fallen out of "Wake-up... you fell in the well, probably hit your head WAKE-UP DAMMIT !!"

"Mika-chan..." Shouka stood up and reached out to consol Mika

Mika clenched her eyes even harder "wake-up please..." she whispered to herself

"Mika, please.." Shouka tried

Mika heard the doors slide open, but still stood there with her eyes shut

"You will be more respectful towards Rin..."

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. He stood there in the doorway, staring at her coldly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama" Rin said with a worried smile "she is scared only... I don't mind"

Sesshoumaru walked around them and sat down next to Rin, he lifted her hand and kissed it. Rin blushed as if she were a young girl.

Shouka sat down and pulled on Mika's skirt. Mika turned and sat down next to her. She turned her head to the side and kept her eyes down... she didn't want to look at him.

"Where did you come from" Sesshoumaru asked her, staring at her with his cold eyes.

"Tou-san, she came from the well-"Shouka started

"Let her answer" Sesshoumaru interrupted, not once looking away from Mika.

Mika could feel his eyes on her and she wanted to cry... "I don't understand your question" she said quietly in defiance.

He leaned forward and held out the Rosary.

"The necklace!" she said suddenly, turning towards it. She reached up and touched her neck, as if to reaffirm that it wasn't there.

"I want to know how you got this" He said "who gave it to you..."

Mika looked away again and put her hand back down into her lap

"In the storage building..." she said quietly "I found it in a box..." the whole situation was beginning to make her angry, and in her anger, she began to forget exactly how scared she was, she began to tear up... she gathered all of her courage up and forced herself to turn and meet Sesshoumaru's gaze.

He smiled slightly, he could smell her fear... and yet she did this.... Strong... she was strong.

"Listen" Mika began, trying not to sound as shaky as she felt "I bought the house, I found it on my property, if it belonged to you all you had to do was ask me for it" She could feel the sobs begin, but she kept going anyway "If it was so damned important to you, why did you store it away, you don't have to put me through all of this, all you had to do was ask !"

"Mika..." Shouka said quietly, pulling Mika's attention off Sesshoumaru.

"I-I'm sorry Shouka... but" Mika began, she reached up and with a trembly hand, wiped the tears out of her eyes

"Mika-chan..." Shouka said "what is a box?"

Mika turned to her, caught off guard by the question "what is a...?" she couldn't help it, the question was so absurd that she began to laugh.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes "answer her" he said

Mika stifled another fit of laughter that threatened to become tears. She looked at him "you're serious ?!"

She looked over at Shouka again, who had a partially puzzled look on her face

"You know... "Mika started to make a gesture with her hands, but the pain forced her to put her hands back in her lap "square... you put stuff in it... you know a box"

They all sat there and stared at her as if she were crazy, Mika's vision began to blur as tears sprung up, she started to feel like she had felt when she was little... when she had fallen asleep in class and everyone had thought she had passed out. She woke up and all the other kids, all the teachers were standing silently around her, just staring at her. She didn't know what to do so she had sat up and started growling like she was a little monster. But they had all stood there, staring. She had broken out into tears then too.... She felt small suddenly, in the center of blank stares, self conscious and utterly alone.

She looked at Shouka desperately "how am I supposed to explain something so ordinary...you might as well ask me to explain my shoes or my skirt... it's just what it is, a box."

Shouka could tell Mika was struggling and suddenly felt terrible for asking such a thing. She looked over at her father and realized that he was not his usual self... he seemed angry.

"This rosary belonged to my younger brother..."Sesshoumaru said calmly, as if Mika hadn't been talking at all "After he left, we sealed the well, now I'm asking you where you met him and how you came through the well"

Mika tried to picture his brother's face... younger he had said. She looked back and forth between Rin, Shouka and Sesshoumaru, she couldn't picture anyone who looked like them.

White hair.... Then it struck her. The only person she'd seen with white hair was that boy in the costume... but it couldn't be, could it...? She remembered the boy had the necklace on in the picture... he did say the necklace belonged to his brother...

Noting the expression on Mika's face, Sesshoumaru stood up and walked over to her.

"You know something..." He said "tell me."

"It's just.." Mika started

With that lightning fast movement, Sesshoumaru grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up.

"Tell me what you know !" he demanded

Mika struggled, unable to do anything except claw at his grip.

"Sesshoumaru-sama !" Rin called out

Shouka jumped up and tried to pull his grip free "Tou-san ! She'll be hurt, she's human !!" She pleaded.

Mika was too terrified to cry, she could barely breath "anata.." she managed to say

"Sesshoumaru-sama !" Rin shouted "she can't tell you anything if she's dead !"

"Tou-san ! please !!"

Finally Sesshoumaru dropped her. Rin let out a sigh of relief. Mika gasped for air...

Too real ...this was too real to be a dream.

Shouka gave her father a harsh look and reached down to help Mika up

"..never..." Mika started

"Mika-chan, please.." Shouka said as she helped her up "I apologize for father's behavior, it's just that he isn't used to other humans, he just doesn't know how to act, please forgive us"

Mika stood up, despite her fear she could only glare at Sesshoumaru. He looked back at her with a disinterested look, as if she was amusing to him. It angered her and in a fit of rage, she forgot herself.

"Don't ever touch me again..." she started with a whisper, then she lashed out, catching everyone off guard and slapped him full across the face "DON'T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN !!!" she screamed, her face red with rage.

Before anyone could say anything, Mika turned and ran out the doorway, disappearing around the corner. Sesshoumaru stood there, his eyes had turned red...

"Tou-San ! "Shouka grabbed him "Stop it NOW !"

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." Rin said, quietly behind him "please husband...."

Sesshoumaru's eyes turned back to normal, he touched Shouka, who let out a relieved sigh.

"Only for you, my love "he said to Rin "do I let this happen..."

Tears streamed down Mika's face as she ran aimlessly through the house.

'I have to get out..' she thought desperately '..if I can get back to the well... I have to get out !'

She turned a corner and hit something hard. She cried out as she fell back and hit the floor. Standing over her was the same boy she had seen earlier. He looked down at her with a slightly surprised look on his face.

"N.. no..." she whispered, turning her body around she scrambled to get back up

"Oi" he said, reaching out to stop her

She started to panic when he grabbed her, "LET ME GO !! "she screamed, trying to pull away... he was so strong...

"Hey, calm down !" He said, just holding her, he could tell she was very scared... too scared to think straight

Mika struggled for a moment, then gave up, she was tired and in pain and he was too strong "why are you so damned strong....it's not normal..." She sobbed, collapsing to the floor "just let me go...please"

He had knelt down along with her. He eased his grip, aware that she frightened but calm enough not to run. She sat there and cried, and he just stared at her.

"You sure do cry a lot for a spirit..." he said after a minute.

Mika looked up, surprised by his statement. A flash of anger hit her again and she pulled her arm away from him. She stood up and wiped the tears out of her eyes

"...what the hell do expect.." she said angrily "I'm surrounded by crazy people in costume, picking me up by the neck, accusing me of stealing things I found on my own property... "

He smiled, a little puzzled by her statements, but happy to get her away from the crying... he can't stand seeing a girl cry...anger is better...

"Every one here is a freak ! Prancing around in costumes – tattoos on the face ?! "Mika grumbled half to him , half to herself "I mean I'm as liberal as the next person... but this is insane..."

"Spirit...."

"I mean what the hell did I do to these people ?" Mika continued to ramble

"Oi... spirit girl.."

"I'm not a god damned spirit !!" Mika yelled, her attention drawn back to the boy "why do you keep calling me that ?!"

He stood there with an amused look on his face, it only angered Mika more.

"I don't know what else to call you" He said with a partial laugh

"You could call me Mika..." She said, picking herself up

He stood up and stared at her as she dusted her skirt off, he noticed the quick wince as she moved her arm... she was in pain...

"I didn't know that was your name.. Mika" He said

"Well, you didn't bother to ask did you..." she said, turning around "now excuse me, but I have to find a way out of here..."

She started to walk away when he reached out again and grabbed her arm.

"Ah!!..." she cried out, the pain was very bad but before she could pull away from him, a flash of warmth went through her arm.

Mika stood there for a moment, surprised by the mild heat. The boy let he arm go and she realized that the pain was gone. She turned and looked at him and he gave her a partial smile.

"What..." she started "did you ?"

"Yeah..." he said "from my mother's side..." he got quiet "at least that's what I've been told..."

Mika noted that he looked sad suddenly.

"Anyway...Mika is it ?" he said "I'm Tenkai"

"Tenkai..." Mika said "Ah.. thank you ..."

"Mika-Chan !!!"

Mika turned herself around to see Shouka running up to her. She stopped quickly and threw a surprised look at Tenkai

"Oh!" Tenkai-kun !" Shouka said with a smile "You met Mika-chan already.."

"Mika" Shouka said, in an apologetic voice "I am so very sorry... Tou-san just doesn't understand how to behave.. he forgets who he is... Please don't be angry with us.."

Mika looked down, it wasn't Shouka's fault... she wanted to say that, but instead she just stood there. Shouka looked sad, but she understood....

"So it was Sesshoumaru who did that to her..." Tenkai interrupted suddenly "feh ! Doesn't surprise me-"

"Tenkai-kun !" Shouka said, giving a harsh look at him "not in front of our guest..."

Tenkai narrowed his eyes, then smiled.

"Yes... of course" He bowed "Shouka... Mika, it was nice to meet you" he tuned and disappeared around the corner

"S-Shouka" Mika started "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to "

"Please Mika-chan" Shouka smiled "you have nothing to be sorry for, you are our guest and we have treated you so very poorly, I won't let it happen again. Forgive me"

Mika smiled, Shouka was so different than her father, she couldn't see how she could be that man's daughter at all. She was too nice.

Shouka grabbed Mika's hand and started pulling her down the hall.

"You must be starved !" Shouka said, taking her around turn after turn "anything you want to eat, I'll have them make for you... we have the best cooks .."

"No... I'm not really.." Mika tried as she followed Shouka through the maze of the house.

Shouka stopped in front of a large room, Mika could smell the food from inside and suddenly she realized that she might be a bit hungry after all.

Shouka seemed like a child, giddy when she told the chefs to cook this or that. Mika smiled, she couldn't understand why Shouka insisted on adding a younger part after her name... surely Shouka was the younger one, she seemed so childlike despite her size.

Shouka led Mika back to the room she had originally come from. The food was brought to them and Shouka chatted mindlessly about the going ons of her daily life. She noticed that Mika barely touched her food, but tried to act as if she hadn't noticed.

"Mika-chan..." Shouka said at one point "please don't be scared anymore... please eat.."

Mika smiled "I've gone past scared, Shouka... I still think this is a dream... but that isn't it, I just can't eat too much anymore... "Mika stopped herself, a flash of memory came to her and she had to stop talking before she broke out into tears again.

Shouka noticed it too... the sadness in Mika's eyes and her voice... but she didn't want to pry so she quickly changed the subject "Do you want to take a bath ?"

Mika looked up "a bath? "suddenly she was mortified... she had been so wrapped up in the events, she must stink... she had always been so self conscious about things like that, obsessed was more towards the truth... when she was small her father-

"a bath would be wonderful" she said, stopping her thoughts again.

Shouka led her out past the clearing where she had first seen Tenkai and towards a large room. Inside it was like a spring. Mika was astonished, she had only seen a place like this once when she was younger, they had gone to the mountains.... It was beautiful.

As Shouka undressed, Mika was a little self conscious but she felt at ease around Shouka so she did what she hadn't done since the accident... she let someone see her body.

She was well aware that in Japan they didn't bathe until after they were clean, she wasn't used to the idea, but she couldn't see climbing into such a clean spring with a dirty body so she started to undress.

Shouka had the same purple-ish tattoo stripes all over her body. Mika stood there, staring at her, wondering if they hurt badly to have it all over the whole body. Shouka noticed and smiled.

"Shouka... I'm sorry , I don't mean to stare, but did it hurt.?" Mika asked, turning her head away

"Did what hurt ?" Shouka said

"The tattoos, did it hurt to get that many of them ?" Mika started to undress

"Tattoos? ..."Shouka looked at her for a moment with a thoughtful look on her face "Oh... no, I was born with these, like my father..."

Mika stopped, surprised "you mean, those are birth marks ?! But it's so precise , I didn't think that was possible !"

Shouka laughed and began to scrub herself. Mika finished undressing , lost in thought, she didn't notice that Shouka had stopped and was staring at her with a frown on her face.

"Mika... " Shouka said, walking over to her "how did you get those ?!" she pointed to the scars that covered her back and most of her legs

Mika frowned "....I ...I would rather not talk about it... I'm sorry, I can bathe alone if it bothers you..." she bent down to pick up her dress, but Shouka stopped her

"No again, I'm sorry, I just was surprised because you are so young to have so many scars... "Shouka smiled "I didn't mean to intrude "

Mika smiled back, she wanted to cover up again, she hadn't shown anyone her scars... but Shouka didn't really seem to care so reluctantly she began to wash, she felt more self conscious than ever, but tried to relax and just enjoy the bath. As they bathed, Shouka continued to talk aimlessly.. Mika thought it was sweet, as if Shouka was just talking to get her mind off of things. After they were done, despite everything that had happened, Mika felt refreshed and a bit tired. Shouka took her leave and left Mika alone.

Mika wanted to fall asleep.. she wanted to dream... for the first time in a while she wanted to remember her children's faces, her husband's face... she needed them now but that sleep that always promised to bring them, wouldn't come. She lay there, awake in the dark, unable to sleep.

Mika sat up. She looked around the darkened room, it really was quite large, not at all the comfortable room she had chosen a few days before.

She decided that if she couldn't sleep ,she would at least look around while everyone else was, so she quietly opened the doors to the room and peered out into the hall. There was no one and the halls were all dark. She closed her doors and began to walk down the hall. She found her way to the clearing and walked over to one of the benches. She sat down and sighed.

"Some new life..."she said to herself

Mika breathed in the night air, it had a cleanness to it that she wasn't used to. She listened to the sounds and was astonished that she didn't hear sirens or cars... she only heard crickets and the occasional frog somewhere. Mika reached into her pocket and pulled the pouch out. She took the ring from inside and turned it around in her fingers

".... anata... "

"Can't sleep...?"

Mika nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Tenkai's voice. Mika looked up to the source of his voice. Sitting in the tree directly behind her was Tenkai. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring up at the stars.

"How long have you been there?" Mika asked, startled and annoyed at the same time

Tenkai looked down "Long enough..." He leaned forward and without much effort, he jumped out of the tree and walked over to her. She moved over a bit when he sat down next to her.

"Who is 'anata' ?" he asked her

Mika looked at him, she flushed, "It's not very nice to ease-drop on people..." she said, turning her head.

Tenkai smiled, the rang of emotion was amusing to him... she could go from tears to anger in a flash... it was comical. He hadn't seen a person like this ever... every human he knew was too serious or involved in stupid things...

He looked down at the object Mika seemed to be absently turning in her fingers. He'd never seen anything like it

"What is that ?" he asked

Mika frowned and quickly stuffed the ring into the pouch. "it's ....nothing" she said quietly, a flash of her husband's face ...

Tenkai looked at her for a moment, her eyes were sad, almost like she would cry again, he said something wrong....

"Fine" he said suddenly, wanting to change the subject "you don't have to tell me..."

"Listen you..." Mika started, he was fast becoming the most annoying person she had met in along time.

Suddenly she was interrupted by a thumping sound, both Tenkai and Mika looked up to see the rosary flying through the air. Before it hit the ground, Tenkai reached out and caught it. Sesshoumaru was standing at the edge of the clearing, staring coldly at both of them. A rush of dread went through Mika, but Tenkai only glared.

"Tenkai.." Sesshoumaru said, walking closer towards them "I have business with this person, leave us."

* * *

Notes and Such-  
  
Anything between the '' is a thought  
  
Gomennasai... I realize I have a sort of childish way of writing, it sounds all good in my head but the moment it's out on paper (or on the computer) i can see the style... hopefully it's worth it though  



	3. Finding Strength

Inu-Yasha  
Second chance  
Scroll three

* * *

"Finding the Strength Within"

* * *

'Anywhere but here..'. Mika thought as Sesshoumaru stared coldly at her

Tenkai didn't need to look at her to sense the fear. He half expected her to panic and run. She seemed so frail and yet she stood her ground. He smiled to himself, if it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to tell how scared she truly was just by looking at her. Despite her fear, her face stayed calm... but Tenkai knew that what he could sense, Sesshoumaru also would sense.

Sesshoumaru stepped down into the clearing and walked up towards them. Not once did he look at Tenkai, his eyes stayed fixed on Mika. She was shaking, very slighting, and the smell of fear emanated off her like a perfume. He wondered slightly if she would run, but it seemed for each step he took, her resolve was stronger.

She was very much like Kagome indeed...

Mika wanted to bolt as Sesshoumaru stepped closer, he was very tall and extremely imposing. She had never been really truly afraid of anyone, save her father, but there was something about him... it wasn't only his appearance, his face was actually handsome despite his fearsome look, Shouka looked a bit like him and Shouka was so kind and warm... with Sesshoumaru, it was more like a feeling. He didn't feel normal and it frightened her more than she could say.

As he got closer Mika remembered something her husband had once told her.

It was in the beginning, before she had found the strength to break away from her father. She had spent so much time crying, so much time wasted on self pity because she couldn't find the strength in herself to get away... he told her that fear is never something that goes away. Being strong is when you stand up and face what it is that frightens you. You'll never feel strong, you'll always want to run, you'd be stupid and careless if you didn't feel that way, but never underestimate the fear you experience, bravery is when you stand up and face it.

Mika closed her eyes briefly, she clenched onto the ring and forced herself to look Sesshoumaru in the eyes. She felt shaky and on the verge of tears but she stood there anyway.

'Anata...' she thought as he stopped in front of her, ' if you are there... watch me !!'

"Tenkai, leave now" Sesshoumaru said , still staring down at Mika

"I won't..." Tenkai said defiantly, "I was in the middle of a conversation with her and I won't leave until I've finished it. "

Tenkai stepped behind Mika and put his hand on her shoulder, she flinched slightly at his touch. He was helping her and somehow... she felt protected

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and for the first time, he took them off Mika. Tenkai smiled slightly...

"You," Sesshoumaru began "... are too much like your father, boy. "

"Feh... so you keep telling me... uncle" Tenkai said snidely

Years ago, Sesshoumaru would have killed him where he stood for such insolence... but he had made a promise... one that he could not break. He looked back down at Mika and smiled, which was something he rarely did

"...You will forgive my interruption then" he said quietly.

Sesshoumaru glanced slightly at Tenkai, who smiled, he then turned and walked back towards the house.

Mika's jaw dropped. She was totally taken aback by his sudden change. Sesshoumaru turned his head as he reached the house, amused by the surprise in Mika's face.

"I will speak with you tomorrow, "he said turning his head again "at a more decent hour." With that said he disappeared into the house.

Mika stood there for a moment, confused and relieved all at once about the sudden change in Sesshoumaru. She realized a moment later that she had been holding her ring so tightly that her hand hurt

"Owww..." she said out loud

Tenkai pulled his hand away

"Sorry !" He said, he hadn't realized he had been gripping her shoulder hard.

Mika had completely forgotten that he had been standing behind her, she turned and the look on his face struck a funny bone in her, she started to laugh.

"No..." she laughed, grabbing onto her side as it started to ache, "it wasn't you..."

She let go of her ring and pulled her hand out of her pocket. She held her hand out to him to show him the mark. Tenkai wasn't sure what to make of her, standing there laughing, partially bent over with her hand outstretched. There was an imprint on her palm and her hand was shaking

"I .. I was so scared that I held my ring too tight ! "she laughed

Tenkai smiled and sat down... she was so small and it was the first time he'd seen her smile.

"I was so scared..." Mika started to sob... she couldn't help it

She collapsed onto the ground, pulled her hands up to her face and cried

"Oi !" Tenkai said, jumping off the bench and kneeling besides her. He could handle any emotion except this one... how was he supposed to comfort her ?

"Why... ?" She sobbed

"What ?" He asked, unsure if he should touch her or not

"Why is this happening to me ?" She said quietly through her tears "Why ? it... it's not fair... "

Suddenly she got angry... "Haven't I suffered enough ? Haven't I been through enough ?!" She slammed her fists into the ground, taking Tenkai completely by surprise.

"It's not fair !" She said through gritted teeth "It's not fair !!"

She brought her arms up and slammed her fisted into the ground again, this time striking a rock, but she was too angry to notice. She slammed her hands over and over into the ground. Tenkai reached out and grabbed her wrists

"Stop it !" He said "Look at what you are doing !"

Mika didn't need to look, she felt the pain in her hand, she felt the sting as the blood flowed from the cuts where she had struck the rock.

"Let go of me !" She said as the tears ran down her cheeks.

She tried to pull her arms away and again she was reminded about how strong he really was.

"I said let go !" She said angrily

"No ... not until you've calmed down " He said, pulling her arms down and holding her hands up in front of her

Mika wanted to scream, she wanted to slap him, she wanted to struggle... anything to break free but all she could do was sit there, her hand cut and bleeding while Tenkai held her in place. She put her head down and cried, she hated feeling so helpless and alone. She hated it more than anything...

"I hate this place "She whispered after a while "I hate you...."

Tenkai smiled. He understood her frustration , he wanted to tell her this. He understood perfectly what it was like to feel helpless, he understood how much that feeling hurts, especially for one with so much pride. He wanted to tell her but instead he just sat there and watched her cry.

"I ...I'm sorry" Mika whispered after a minute "I didn't mean it... I'm just, it's just..."

Tenkai loosened his grip, stopping her in mid sentence

"It's okay "he said, "I didn't take it seriously"

Mika looked up and smiled "Thank you"

Tenkai's heart skipped a beat suddenly and he let go of her wrists

"Well, "he said , turning his head so she couldn't see the slight blush come across his face, "you are constantly changing so it's hard to take anything you say seriously..."

Mika's face became heated at his words.

"What the hell is your problem ?!" she said without thinking

"W-what ? Tenkai said, taken off guard by her outburst

"Who do you think you are ??" she said using the back of her uncut hand to wipe the tears off her face. She stood up and stared angrily down at him

"Just because you helped me with that... that man, doesn't mean you can talk to me any way you-"

"Okay okay" Tenkai interrupted "calm down"

He stood up and smiled at Mika's indignity "I didn't mean anything by it... sorry"

Mika closed her mouth and stood there for a moment

"Okay..." she said quietly "as long as you know you can't just talk to me anyway... it's okay"

Tenkai smiled again, she really was different than any human he had met

"Now," Mika said turning away from him, "if you'll excuse me, I need to go to bed..."

She started to walk away but before she could make one step he reached out and grabbed her cut hand. She flinched at the sting

"What are you doing ?!" she cried out as he pulled her back

Tenkai had a blank look on his face, almost as if he was in a trance. Mika tried again to pull her hand away but to no avail.

"St-stop" she said almost in a whisper as he pulled her too close to him.

He held her hand up and placed his other hand over the cut. Mika stared at him with a mix of wonder and nervousness as he touched the opening of her cut with one of his long, sharp fingernails. Suddenly a flash of heat went through her hand, she watched with widened eyes as the cut closed up and healed before her eyes.

Tenkai closed his eyes and let go of her hand. He sat down on the bench and put his head back.

Twice in one day... he's never used it so much in his life, he felt drained... as if he'd been training for hours

"It was like this before ..." Mika said staring at her hand in disbelief. She sat down next to him, still looking at her hand. " You did this before too, didn't you ?"

Tenkai sighed and opened his eyes, looking up at the pale glow of the moon.

"Who are you Mika... ?" he said after a while

"What do you mean ?" she asked, caught a little off guard by his question

"I've been told you came from the well..." he looked at her, "I want to know who you are, you aren't like any human I've ever seen. You look different, you act different... you aren't normal..."

Mika put her hand in her lap and stared at it.

"Normal..." she turned suddenly and grabbed Tenkai's pointed ears, pulling him down "Normal ??, you call this normal ?!"

Tenkai stared at her in shock, he hadn't expected her to do anything so brash. Mika let go of him, aware suddenly of what she had done.

"Sorry..." she said turning her head in embarrassment, "but how can you talk to me about normal when you look like that..."

Mika put her hands to her face "... this is a nightmare," she said out loud in English, "it.. it just has to be..."

"What ?!" Tenkai asked

Mika looked up at him, she realized she hadn't spoken in Japanese

"What did you say ?! I've never heard that before, what language is that ?" Tenkai questioned "What did you say ??"

Mika blinked "You've never heard English before ? Don't the teach it in school ?" she wondered out loud, "I thought it was standard nowadays..."

"English ? Is that what you spoke ?" Tenkai asked

He thought for a moment before standing up. He put his hand out to her

"I want to show you something..."

Mika stared at his outstretched hand "W-what ?" she asked

Tenkai smiled "... trust me"

"Trust ?" Mika said quietly, then she thought to herself, that was asking a lot... in her entire life, she had only trusted one person and he...

She shook her head slightly trying again to stifle the memories that always wanted to surface. Tenkai stared down at her while she struggled internally, he wondered if she would accept is hand or not. Even in the darkness of night, her skin was so pale that she almost glowed in the moonlight. She looked so different, almost like a yokai he had met long ago... she was mysterious and he wanted to learn more about her, and that language she had spoken... English, he wanted to know where she had come from.

What he was about to do... he had never trusted anyone with it, not even Shouka, but there was something about Mika... something special

Mika looked up at Tenkai and made her decision. She reluctantly took his hand. He pulled her up and with no effort at all, he lifted her up. She was much lighter than he had thought she would be, her body was much more slender than it looked in clothing.. as if she never ate.

Before Mika could protest he had jumped suddenly into the air. Tenkai shifted his body in midair to go over the wall. Mika let out a small cry and pulled her arms around his neck so suddenly and so tightly that Tenkai almost choked.

"Oh my god !" she cried out as they descended to the ground.

He took another leap into the air. Mika shut her eyes tight and held onto him for dear life. Her heart was beating so fast that he thought it might burst. He smiled as he made his way into the forest that lay directly to the west of his uncle's house. He could tell that she was frightened but since he wanted to make good time, he didn't slow down. Even though she was scared, he found that he enjoyed the fact that she was holding onto him so tightly, something about her appealed to him, something he couldn't place....

Tenkai sped up towards his destination as they reached the mountains, he wanted to get there before dawn. Mika could feel the wind rushing passed her ears. She could feel the speed as he moved, it was if she was riding a roller coaster. She had never been good with heights, she had tried many times to conquer her fear, but nothing had ever worked... what he was doing seemed impossible to Mika, she didn't know what to do, everything was too real to be a dream, ... she wanted to scream, cry and laugh all at once.

After a while, Mika felt them slow down, but she didn't dare look

"You can open your eyes..." Tenkai said after a few minutes and she realized they had stopped, but she was too scared so all she could do was hold onto him and shake.

"Mika... you're... choking me.." he said trying to set her down, but she wouldn't let go of his neck, "... Mika..."

She slowly opened her eyes and was suddenly aware of how close she was holding him. Embarrassed, she quickly let go of his neck and tried to stand. Her legs were so shaky that they gave way and she almost fell. He caught her and helped her up

"S-sorry" she said, holding onto his arm to steady herself

She looked up and gasped. They were standing in front of a mountain side, surrounded by forest. Directly in front of them, imbedded into the mountain was a temple in the state of ruins. A faint iridescent glow surrounded the temple. Mika forgot her previous fear and stared, open mouthed at it.

"W-what is this place ?" she asked in awe.

"I found this place about twenty years ago..." he said looking at the temple "there's something inside I want to show you..."

Tenkai stepped towards it, Mika followed, still holding onto his arm. Before they could reach the barrier the jewel in Mika's pocket flared up suddenly and pain shot through Mika's heart and head. She screamed and clenched onto her chest, collapsing to the ground.

"Oi !!" Tenkai turned, and grabbed onto her, "what's wrong ?!"

"I ... I don..." she gasped as a pulses of pain kept flowing through her body like a heart beat "I don't know... "

She screamed and collapsed as the pain overwhelmed her.

"Mika !!" Tenkai lifted her up, her breath was erratic and her heart was racing,

"What the hell is happening ??" he realized he'd have to get her some help. He remembered the wolf tribe was close by and with all of his speed he ran towards it.

Tenkai held her close, her heart was beating fast and her breathing was extremely strained.

"Hang on !" he whispered as he ran

Mika could barely hear his voice, the pain was blinding and she couldn't think straight. Through half closed eyes she looked up. Her eyes widened and tears formed in her eyes as she saw her husband's face

"Anata..." she whispered

Tenkai looked down at her as he ran, she was gasping and tears were streaming down her face.

"Anata..." she cried out as another pulse of pain hit her

"Anata" she reached up with a shaking hand and touched Tenkai's cheek, " I... I've waited so long to see you !"

In her pocket the jewel flared up again and a pulse of pain so severe shot through her body. She gasped, clenched onto her chest and fainted.

"Oi !!" Tenkai yelled as he felt her go limp. He couldn't stop, he was almost there

Don't die on me... he thought desperately.

Tenkai made it to a clearing, a large waterfall was imbedded in a cul-de-sac of a mountain face. There were many wolves resting on indents of cliff, tapering down to a lake directly in front of him. Two human form wolf demons stood sentry in front. Tenkai ran up to them.

"Tenkai !" the smaller demon said with a smile "Long time no see !"

"What brings you here ?" the other said glancing down at Mika's near lifeless body

"Kouga !" Tenkai breathed "Where is he ?!"

"He left this morning with half of the pack to hunt..." said the smaller one

"Tenkai ?" said a soft female voice from above

They looked up to see a smaller, pretty woman yokai, with dark hair standing on the cliff above them.

"Ayane !" Tenkai yelled, "I need your help !" he held Mika up "...something's wrong, I think she's dying"

Ayane looked down at Tenkai and the woman he was holding, she was pale and her golden hair was long and wind blown. Ayane took a leap off the cliff and landed in front of him, she brought her face close to Mika's and breathed in, She smelled like she was near death... and she had a severe fever

"Bring her inside," Ayane said turning towards the waterfall. "Quickly !"

As they walked through the waterfall, Tenkai held Mika close to protect her from the water. Mika's eyes clenched and she gasped but she stayed unconscious. Ayane pointed to a bed of furs

"Set her down over there." She said walking over to a chest that lay on the ground at the entrance. She opened it and pulled some herbs out.

"Get her clothing off " she said matter-of-factly

Tenkai stumbled as he set Mika down "... uhh... what ?" he asked in surprise

Ayane looked at him as she walked over to them "This isn't the time to be stupid, do you want her to die ? Take her shirt off, now."

Tenkai flushed as he looked down at Mika... the wolf tribe had no modestly what so ever, and he knew that Mika would be angry if it were any other time, but this was her life so he did what Ayane asked... surely Mika would understand.

Her clothing was strange and he as he undid the jacket he wondered what kind of cloth it was. Ayane was infusing the herbs she had pulled from the chest while Tenkai carefully took Mika's shirt off, as he lifted her up to remove the garments, he gasped at the sight of the burn scars that covered her back... what could have happened to her ?

He removed the shirt and jacket and set them aside leaving the last garment that covered her chest, carefully he set her back down. Her skin was burning hot. As he moved her hair away from her face, he was surprised to find that she had a bright red mark in the shape of a V on her forehead that her bangs had covered before. More than ever, he wanted to know about her... those scars, that mark....

"Don't die..." he whispered

Ayane sat down and placed a large cloth soaked in cold water over Mika's forehead.

"Lift her up, we need her to drink this." She handed the mixture of herbs to Tenkai and stood up.

"How.. ?" Tenkai asked, holding the bowl of herbs.

"I'll be back, I have to get more," Ayane said running towards the entrance, "do what you have to, but get her to drink it !"

Tenkai stared at Mika, who was breathing very shallow, her body was burning and it seemed impossible that he could wake her to get her to drink. He sighed and sipped a small amount of the mixture, holding it in his mouth, he held Mika up and kissed her, forcing her to open her mouth and take in the mixture. At first nothing happened but slowing he felt her swallow. Little by little he repeated the process, until he had fed her all of it. He set the bowl down and took the cloth off her head, he soaked it in the cool water and dabbed her head and body. He was relieved to hear her heartbeat even out... her breath slowing came back to normal. He leaned back and positioned her carefully so he could rest on the cave wall without disturbing her. Mika's face contorted every once in a while, like she was having a bad dream... but she was breathing normally again.

He looked at her face and realized how pretty she was... the mark on her forehead was unusual, he carefully traced it with a finger nail wondering why she hid it with her hair.

"Should I leave you two alone ?" Ayane asked in an amused voice that startled Tenkai

Tenkai looked up and flushed, causing Ayane to laugh.

She walked over and started to infuse another batch of herbs, while Tenkai tried not to look embarrassed.

"She's very unusual..." Ayane said, handing the herbs to Tenkai, "where did you find her ? "

"Sesshoumaru found her actually," Tenkai said with slight annoyance in his voice at the thought of his uncle, "no one knows where she came from though and before I could find out... this happened."

"Interesting... "Ayane said as she looked at Mika and touched her forehead

"Well," she said standing, "her fever is coming down, so hopefully she should be able to tell us."

Ayane walked towards the entrance, "Kouga-kun will be back soon, so just try to rest until then... "

"Thank you Ayane..." Tenkai said as she disappeared through the waterfall

Tenkai pulled some furs up to cover Mika as she slept. He held her as he drifted off to sleep, wondering what had happened. He wondered about her scars and the mark on her forehead. With each steady beat of her heart, he was relieved more than he could say that she would live...

He remembered she had called him anata... She had said it before too, when she had come out into the clearing. It was a term of endearment, the way she used it... but towards who ?

As he fell asleep her words went through his head

"I've waited so long to see you.."

Did she really come from the well... ? Who was she looking for ? Now more than ever, he needed to know...

* * *

Notes and such-  
  
Anything between the ' ' is a thought  
  
I love Kouga... I just had to throw that in -laughs-  
  



	4. To find the one you Love

Inu-Yasha  
Second chance

Scroll four

* * *

"To find the one you love"

* * *

Mika awoke to the sound of running water. As she slowly opened her eyes, she felt groggy and disorientated. The smell of rotted meat hit her nose and she nearly gagged. She gasped as her vision cleared.

She was in a small cave. The doorway was filled with a waterfall. She was lying in a bed of furs and a moment later she realized her top and coat was off. She sat up suddenly and almost fell back down. Her head was pounding and she felt sick. She saw her clothing lying neatly to the side. She crawled over to it and as quick as she could manage she put them back on. She tried to remember what had happened... the last thing she knew she had stood in front of that temple with Tenkai... then nothing. A feeling of dread went over her as she stumbled towards the waterfall.

'It couldn't be she thought as she carefully stepped through. 'He... he couldn't have...'

She shook her head and wiped the water from her eyes. She gasped. It was dark and on cliffs above where she stood were many wolves. Their eyes glowed softly in the moonlight. Fear rushed over Mika as she looked around for an escape. She didn't know what the wolves would do and expected them to attack her, but they just stared calmly as she crept forward. Suddenly one wolf stood up and howled. Mika let a small sound of surprise escape her lips and panicked. She bolted forward as fast as she could towards the trees. She almost fell as she ran over a rock, but picked herself up and kept going. She wasn't thinking, she just ran and ran. After a few minutes she started to lose her momentum and started to slow. She was breathing heavily and her head was pounding, she glanced back to check if she had been followed. Not seeing anyone or anything she stopped and leaned up against a tree, out of breath and spent.

"Why is this happening to me?!" She thought out loud through strained breath " ... why did I go with him ? god Mika, you are so stupid !" she started to cry

Suddenly she heard voices in the distance behind her, frantically she looked around, her sense of direction off, she started run through the trees again in the opposite direction that the voices were coming from.

As she was running she started to hear a loud noise come up behind her. It was if a tornado was coming. Mika didn't want to look back but the noise was getting louder and as she ran, she turned to see a large object coming towards her. Not paying attention she hit a tree root and fell to the ground. She scrambled to get away but before she could get too far what looked like a person enveloped by a wind tunnel and burst through the trees in front of her. Mika was shocked to see a person stop in front of her, as the wind died down she was confronted by a tall man, wrapped in brown furs. His black hair was pulled up into a pony tail and he had pointed ears and small unnatural looking blue eyes. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Where do you think you are going ona ?" he said

Mika didn't know how to reply, she grabbed a handful of dirt and stood up

"I- I don't know who you are..." she said, taking a slight step back "but- get away from me !!" she yelled, with all her might she threw the dirt at the stranger's face.

Without checking to see if she hit him she turned and tried to run. But he had her by the arm

"That wasn't funny girl.." he said as Mika tried to struggle, she hadn't even hit him.

"Let me go !!" she screamed,

He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, pinning her in place by holding both her hands behind her back. Mika couldn't break free, he was as strong as Tenkai, as Sesshoumaru.. as any of them and she was helpless. She tried to kick him but it didn't seem to have any affect. Before she could scream again he started moving. She clenched her eyes shut as he sped through the forest. It was faster than when she had been with Tenkai and she felt sick.

"I found her..." she heard him say after a moment

"Mika..." she heard Tenkai's voice say

She didn't look up, she just lay there, stumped over the strangers shoulder, with her eyes shut. She felt like she would throw up. The man let go of her wrists and set her down. Her legs were shaking and she wanted to collapse but she just stood there with her eyes shut.

"Mika, are you alright ?"

She could feel Tenkai in front of her, he put his hand on her shoulder and she shyed away.

"Mika ? "

She opened her eyes and looked up, he was standing there, in front of her with a look of concern on his face, she looked to her side and saw the man that carried her back standing next to a smaller woman with brown hair and small purple eyes. There were wolves everywhere and other strange looking men and woman surrounding them. Suddenly she felt small and scared and it angered her.

"Mika ?" Tenkai tried again

She slapped his hand away "don't touch me !" she screamed "get way from me !! "

She didn't know where to go, so she ran for the waterfall. She ran through the water and collapsed onto the furs and cried. As she cried she heard someone step through the waterfall. She didn't look up, she hoped that if she kept her eyes closed, maybe ... just maybe it would all go away and she'd be back in her normal life... back before it all had happened.

She felt the person sit down next to her and not long after a hand was placed on her head.

"Mika.." Ayane said softly

Mika looked up to see the same woman she had seen before, the one standing next to the man that had brought her back. She was smiling kindly. She reached out and wiped the tears from Mika's eyes. Mika flinched automatically, the woman just smiled. Mika sat up and looked at her...

"My husband is a little rough, "Ayane said "but you shouldn't take it out on Tenkai, he is really worried about you, after you collapsed, he brought you here... if it wasn't for him, you'd probably be dead."

"What do you mean..?" Mika asked

Ayane smiled "what is the last thing you remember ?" she asked

Mika looked down, trying to recall, "I was... with Tenkai... we were in front of that temple.... Then" she closed her eyes "... then nothing"

"When he brought you, you had a fever and you smelled of death" Ayane patted Mika on the head "if it had been any later, if he had left you, I couldn't have helped you. It's because of him that you live now"

Ayane stood up and walked over to the entrance and looked back, she smiled at Mika's surprise

"He wouldn't leave your side, he stayed with you the entire night. Even when Kouga came back, he wouldn't even leave you then. We almost had to drag him out to get him to eat... it was my fault you were left alone and I apologize for that, but I honestly didn't think you would wake so suddenly and I had gone out to hunt. So don't blame him okay..."

Ayane stepped through the waterfall, leaving Mika to her thoughts. She was confused and relieved all at once, nothing had been done... she let out a sigh. She wished she could remember what had happened... She put her head down, she still felt sick.

"Why are you here ...?" She asked herself out loud

She reached up and wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes. She was so tired of crying and it seemed ever since she had come to this place, it was all she could do. She cursed at herself silently for being so weak, if her father could see her now, he'd be laughing at her stupidity.

She shook her head, wanting nothing more than to prove him wrong. She reached into her pocket to find the comfort of her ring. She had kept it because it was the only memory that didn't make her cry. She pulled the pouch free and opened it only to be struck ... it was gone.

She was mortified, she reached into her pockets to search for it. The only contents she found were the pictures and that crystal jewel she had found in the well. She tossed them onto the furs haphazardly and took off her jacket, turning the pockets inside out.

'No no no' she thought desperately as she searched.

She stood up and threw her jacket, the items, and the furs to the side, it wasn't anywhere to be found. She got down on her hands and knees and began crawling around, hoping beyond hope that she would find it.

Outside, Tenkai stood with a partially stricken look on his face. Ayane had gone in to talk to her, but he wondered if Mika would see him...

Kouga smirked "You sure chose a strange one, didn't you puppy... " he said, laughing slightly "she'll get over it"

Ayane shot Kouga a harsh look and walked back over to Tenkai

"She'll be okay, "Ayane said in a reassuring tone, "just go in and talk to her ..." she reached out and squeezed Tenkai's shoulder then walked back over to Kouga

She pulled him away and started to lecture him about tact

Tenkai took a deep breath and walked through the waterfall. He was taken aback by what he saw.

Mika was on the ground, on crawling around and muttering to herself. Her black outer garment was in a pile along with the furs clumped off to the side. She looked up at him, she had tears in her eyes

"It's gone..." she sobbed slightly

"What ? "Tenkai asked, stepping closer to her, she looked back down and started searching again

"M-my ring... it's gone !" she stood up and ran over to him

"It –it's gone !!" she reached out and grabbed his sleeve. She had such a stricken look on her face that Tenkai's heart began to race.

Then he remembered the ring she had been holding the night before.

"I .. I need to find it !" She started sobbing, grasping onto his sleeve, "Tenkai please ! I need it !!"

Tenkai wanted to reach out and hold her, she looked so much like a child, so frail, but instead he picked her up, much to her surprise.

"Tenkai ! What...?!" she started, caught off guard

"We'll go back to the temple, "he said, carrying her through the waterfall "you probably dropped it when you fell..."

Tenkai started to run back into the forest

"Oi ! " he heard Kouga say. They looked back to see Kouga and Ayane on the cliff above, looking at them with questioning eyes.

Mika quickly looked away, she still hadn't forgiven him for her earlier indignity. Kouga laughed slightly.

"We'll be back..." Tenkai yelled, he turned and began to retrace his steps.

As he ran, Mika put her face into his shoulder, she still felt sick and her mind was racing about her ring.

Tenkai made it to the clearing, the faint iridescent glow from the temple still emanated in the darkness. He set Mika down and together they began to search for her ring. Tenkai didn't completely understand why it was so important to her, but he felt an overpowering need to help her in any way he could.

Mika frantically looked around, each moment she searched, her hopes of finding it dwindled. After what seemed like an eternity, she just couldn't take it anymore, she fell to her knees and put her head down.

Tenkai turned around when he heard the slight thump. He sighed, knowing that she had given up, he slowly walked over to her, bent down and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It doesn't matter "he said, trying to comfort her "Shouka has a lot of jewelry... I'm sure she'll give you a better ring..."

Mika looked up with a mix of anger and grief "You don't understand ! It..it was all I had left !!" tears were streaming down her face, she felt horrible, as if she had betrayed her dead husband...

"It was .... all I had..." she brought her hands up to her face and cried.

Without thinking, Tenkai grabbed her and embraced her. She didn't fight him like he thought she might, she just stayed in his arms and cried harder than she had in years. With one ring lost, she felt like her world had caved in.

Tenkai held her while she cried. He breathed in her scent... she smelled sweet and gentle, almost familiar. He felt guilty suddenly that her helplessness exited him, that holding her in such a state made him feel needed. Tenkai closed his eyes briefly, he had just met this woman and yet he already felt that he could hold her forever. He wanted to protect her from what ever demons plagued her, he wanted to wipe away the tears she couldn't seem to help shed, he wanted to see her smile again....

His feelings overwhelmed him. He had never felt this way before, for the first time in his life, he felt as if he had a reason to live... a purpose. His heart raced as he held her, he brought a hand up and ran it through her hair, golden strands that shined lightly in the moonlight.

Mika, still sobbed as she looked up at him, she realized just how handsome he was... shiny golden eyes and ebony hair, hair that reminded her a little too much of her husband. He bent in, put his nose close to her face and licked the salty tears from her cheeks.

"T... Tenkai ?" she whispered, his mouth was so close to hers and before she could say anything else he kissed her.

Mika's eyes widened, she was awe struck and yet she didn't pull away.

Tenkai was caught up in the moment, kissing her tasted so sweet. He was drowning in her scent. He wanted to take it in, he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything.

Forgetting herself, Mika pulled her arms around Tenkai's body and held him. Tenkai slid his hands up underneath her shirt and gently ran his claws up her back, slowly feeling every intent and bump of her scars.

Mika's eyes snapped open, what was she doing ? she pulled away suddenly, aware of what had happened. Tenkai looked at her, seeing her hesitation he wasn't sure what he should do... had he stepped over a line by kissing her ?

"Tenkai, I -I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... "She looked down, self conscious and finding it hard to get the words to work right.

Tenkai reached out and put a finger on her lips to stop her, he wanted to taste them again, and it took everything he had not to.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find your ring..." was all he could think to say.

A moment later he realized it had been the wrong thing... tears rose up I Mika's eyes as she was brought back to the reality of her loss. Tenkai couldn't stand it, he needed to know why it was so important.

"Come with me, " he said , turning towards the temple "we might be able to find it..."

Mika stood up, trying not to cry, it hurt so much that she had lost it... her last memory. Tenkai started towards the temple and she followed. When he stepped through the barrier, she hesitated, it looked almost like a soap bubble to her. He turned and put his hand out, she took it and he pulled her through. The air inside was damp, and Mika found it hard to breath. Tenkai seemed almost unaffected as he led her into the temple. As they walked down a corridor, Mika looked around in awe. It was wasted, vines were everywhere, but the walls were lined with the most intricate sculptures she had ever seen. There were torches, glowing softly on all the walls, giving the hall a faint light. Mika wasn't sure what he meant when he said they might be able to find her ring, but even the faint hope made her follow him.

Tenkai turned into a the main hall, hearing Mika's shallow breath behind him, smelling her scent... she probably wouldn't forgive him for what would happen, but he wanted to know and she wasn't forthcoming in the information... he hoped she'd understand. The fact that she could even see the temple meant something profound...

In the center of the room was a shrine, on the shrine was a small crystal orb, very much like the one Mika had found. Tenkai stopped and turned back to Mika.

"Who is it that you bring me child...? " a soft aged voice said

Mika's eyes widened as a figure appeared over the shrine, where the orb rested. She was glowing white, see through in appearance and she had very long white hair and fancy armor and hakama. She had no eyes, but she stared at Mika with a calm face.

"Ah... you seek something, do you not..." words came from the woman, but her lips never moved.

"Tenkai ? " Mika asked, not being able to look away from the figure "what's is going on... ?"

"She'll be able to help you" Tenkai said, "....trust me"

The woman smiled at Mika and suddenly Mika felt light and dizzy, she heard her speak again, but the words seemed more like a thought "come to me young one..."

Without thinking, Mika stepped forward, she couldn't seem to control it, as she stepped closer, the room melted away. She was walking on air, the dank smell was gone, replaced by the smell of lavender. As she looked into the glow of the woman's eyes, she felt her body fill with a warmth-ness that she had never known. The woman reached her transparent hand out to Mika and she took it. She was solid to the touch and the instant she had taken her hand the room spun. Mika closed her eyes, it felt like she was spinning in circles and the only one to hold her upright was the hand she had taken.

A hand was placed on her forehead and a moment later the spinning stopped. She started hearing the cries of her children, faint at first, then to her shock they got louder.

Her eyes snapped open and she was there, in the car, pinned to her seat by the seat belt. The smell of smoke was suffocating, she looked over and her husband was slumped over the wheel, blood was everywhere.

Mika heard them screaming behind her, she frantically tried to get her belt loose, she was coughing, her head was on fire as pain shot through it.

"A.. Nata ?!! "she coughed, trying to shake him, her children were crying, she saw in horror as the car burned.

She finally got the buckle undone, and turned trying to free her children, but Victoria and Alexander had fallen silent. She was going to die, they were going to die ! She struggled with the door and it broke open, she spilled out onto the ground, coughing and gagging as smoke spilled up out of the car. Mika struggled to break open the back door, the car was on fire now and she felt the searing pain of the flames as she tried to free her loved ones. She couldn't get the damned door to open, smoke was billowing and a moment later the car exploded. Mika was thrown back and then she felt nothing.

Mika opened her eyes, she was in a hospital bed, she was face down, disorientated and in pain.

"h...he...lp... me... "she struggled to say

"she's awake !" she heard a woman say, a voice she didn't recognize

A moment later a doctor came into view, he looked down at her and tried to smile.

"How are you feeling today ?" he asked in a gentle tone, while a nurse did something to her IV

"Wh...ere... are... my...?" she couldn't find the strength to finish the question.

"There was an accident " he replied

Mika's eyes widened, it came back to her... like a nightmare.

"Where is my family ?" she found the strength to say

The doctor looked at her, he glanced up at his nurse then back down at her.

"I think it's best you get some rest, we'll talk more when you are feeling better..." he started to turn away

"N..no, I want to see them, where are they ?!" Mika was scared now, really scared.

"Get some rest" the doctor repeated

Mika sat up, all the pain shot through her body but she didn't care "NO ! Tell me where they are !!" she yelled, trying to get out of the bed

The nurse ran over and tried to force her back down, she struggled to break free, ignoring the excruciating pain that went through her head and back, the doctor also tried to force her down, but her adrenalin was going and she wouldn't lay down, the nurse pushed a red call button next to the bed as she struggled with Mika. Mika kept yelling, why wouldn't they let her see them ? She needed to see them ...Moments later 2 other nurses came in, one of them carrying a needle and while the doctor and two of the nurses held her down, the third pushed the needle into her arm and emptied the contents into her veins. The affects were almost instantaneous, Mika felt like she had been hit hard up against the head... then blackness.

"it's such a shame..." a voice so far away said

"was she really the only one who survived ?" another voice asked

Mika teetered in and out of consciousness, the women sounded so far away

"yes, the crash incinerated the husband and the two children... it's a miracle she survived ... "the first woman said again.

"that's so tragic... who's lucky job is it to tell her when she gets better?" the second asked callously

"God Tracy, you are so cold... "the first said, but giggled "The doctor thinks it'll will be a while before she's strong enough to hear it.. I mean just look what happened when she first woke up, she went crazy !"

The two women laughed quietly and Mika had heard enough... tears were streaming down her face, each drop burned as if it were acid she was crying, she pulled her heavy hands up and placed them over her face... it had to be a bad dream, it just had to be. She couldn't take it anymore, she started with a whimper and then screamed.

A moment later the pain was gone and she opened her eyes. She was standing there holding the woman's hand as tears streamed down her face. The woman looked at her with no emotion. Mika pulled her hand away and spun around. Tenkai was staring at her, his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth, as if he had seen what she had gone through.

"Mika I.." he started, taking a step closer to her "I'm so sorry..."

Mika realized a moment later that he had seen it, that somehow that woman had projected her memories for them to see.

"You..." she started, walking up to Tenkai, his look of sympathy was mixed with... guilt, and she realized that he had known what he had brought her too, it angered her to the fit of rage "You bastard ! "

she pulled back and punched him as hard as she could in the face and ran, ran down the hall, ran towards the entrance, angered to have the screams of her children fresh in her mind, angered that Tenkai had done it, angered that she had trusted him. She ran through the barrier and into the forest, she didn't care where she went, she wanted to get away from him, from the world, from the screams in her head. She ran and ran until she couldn't anymore. Mika fell to the ground, sobbing and I pain again. Her heart ached, her body ached. She wanted to die.

Despite herself she started to drift off to sleep, the ground was cold and she was in pain. She heard some rustling in the trees ahead of her, but couldn't find the strength to stay awake, before everything went black she saw strange feet walking up to her... they almost looked ... fox like.

* * *

Notes and Such-  
  
anything between the '' is a thought.  
  
I don't think I've really figured out how to manage the chapers yet so I'm sorry that everything looks sort of squished together.

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End file.
